The economy of today is very much built on the experience. Whether an organisation is B2C or B2B, the one true way to differentiate your brand is to build a frictionless, memorable, and exceptional customer experience. This should be a top priority for businesses who are looking to make a difference in their market.
Associating the experience of a customer to a specific part (or parts) of any organisation is wrong, and too many companies make that mistake. They need to think holistically. One cannot simply replace a single part of the organisation and expect the entire customer experience to fix itself; the organisation as a whole is what contributes to CX.
Marketing and Sales is CX
A customer’s journey starts with the brand. The experience at every touchpoint with the organisation will set up the customer experience over the long run. This phase is crucial, and goes beyond just making a good experience. It helps to set the right expectations with customers for all future touchpoints.
Product and Services are CX
If a product or a service does not deliver on its promise; if the value derived from it by the customer doesn’t materialise, or if the value is inferior to other options on the market, it leaves the door wide open to a negative customer experience. By exceeding expectations, does a brand begin to build a memorable experience.
Order Management is CX
Order management is traditionally all things that happen after a customer makes an order be it digitally on an app or a website, or more traditionally via phone or email, right up to the point that the order is fulfilled. Despite the many facets of this stage, a single mistake is often enough for the customer experience to sour. Order management processes should pay special attention so that any sort of errors can be addressed thoroughly.
Supply Chain is CX
Modern supply chain management is the key to streamlining the supply process and providing visibility to the customer which has become an imperative as we move into highly dynamic and customised products. The unpredictable nature of the world as well as business means that a supply chain issue will happen eventually. It is how effectively and quickly an organisation deals with it that affects how good an experience the customer receives.
Support is CX
Support is another aspect of the organisation that can directly shape a good or bad customer experience; mainly due to a high level of contact with said customers. It has evolved over the past few years, in particular with the emergence of ‘customer success’ as a discipline. While support is still seen as a very ‘human’ part of an organisation, it is also a prime target for digitalisation as technology continues to evolve.
Now What?
As discussed, customer experience is the result of all parts of your organization. Changing and transforming it for the better becomes a huge challenge as it will impact all functions of the organisation, as well as on how they collaborate and align with each other.
Organisations need also to overhaul themselves strategically and culturally to break out of their silos and mature so they can build rich, memorable customer experiences that will make their digital transformation a success.
